Smile
by WikketKrikket
Summary: A oneshot for my sister. It's Ax's birthday and he's about to be shown how to celebrate Earth style! But then, he meets a girl, who is going to instruct him in the proper use of a mouth... Author name changed from Waffles4eva


A/N: _(Looks around) _Wow, the Animorphs' fandom… It's been a while since I've been here!It must be well over a year since I've read or written anything Animorphs. But it has a special place in my heart. ;-) But I have returned briefly to this fandom, not only because I missed it, but because I decided my little sister deserved a one-shot at least for her birthday. Sure, we have our moments, but seeing as she is ALWAYS enthusiastic about my projects- nodding and saying 'yes' at appropriate intervals- I figured I should write one for her. True to form, however, she's working on the assumption it will be a Yu-Gi-Oh fic, so I hope she won't be disappointed. _(Sweatdrop) _Ah well. _(Dramatically) _SF, this is for YOU!

Ah, cheesiness. Always fun. XD By the way, I seem to remember the thought speech marks never worked for me, so they may end being replaced by slashes or hyphens or any number of things, as long as it works. Also, I just can't write Ax playing with the sounds of his words, so I rarely bother. This is just for a bit of fun, but apologies in advance…

Disclaimer: Even if I _did _own it, didn't I just say I'm giving it to my sister? _(Innocent eyes)_

Smile

**Ax's POV**

I was taking my time that morning. After all, although I may not be at home, it is not for me to rush through the morning rituals. They demanded meditation, and concentration; and I was only too happy to oblige when the light from the Earth's single yellow sun was filtering down through the trees, sending shadows dancing over my back which then slid like fish through the water of the stream before me. It seemed it would be another warm day on planet Earth.

I confess, I don't really like the heat. It usually makes me feel tired, and irritable; and, generally speaking, I like to spend warm days in the shade. However, as I am on Earth, I try to respect their beliefs- and one of those seems to be that this sort of weather is 'beautiful' and should be almost reverently enjoyed. I understand that humans like this sort of heat because it allows them to take off more clothing. I wondered why this was a source of enjoyment, but Marco said that the point was not so much wearing less clothing yourself, but admiring other people that do so.

I don't understand this planet, sometimes.

Marco says that this summer he will introduce me to the concept of a 'bikini'. He spoke of it with such happiness, I'm certain it will open my eyes to many things. He assures me it will.

But this wasn't what I was supposed to be concentrating on.

As I continued with the ritual, I detected a sound in the trees; but it did not concern me as Tobias came and waited patiently on a branch. He was used to the ritual by now, and I was used to him being there, so I did not feel embarrassment. However, so as not to keep him waiting any longer, I rushed the final part.

-Freedom is my only cause. Duty to the people, my only guide. Obedience to my Prince, my only glory. The destruction of my enemies, my most solemn vow. In this year as in the last, it is my vow to serve my Prince and my people. I, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, Andalite warrior-cadet, offer my life.-

_-_Morning, Ax-man.- Tobias offered, seeing I was finished.

-Good Morning.- I answered. -How is the air this morning?-

_-_Awesome.-

_-_Perhaps I will come flying with you today…- I said, gazing my stalk eyes up at the sky. It was clear and blue, with out a dent of blemish. Perfect, for some. -Perhaps it will be cooler…-

Tobias laughed, though I didn't think I said anything funny. -No, I guess it can't be much fun having fur in this weather… Maybe you should go swimming?-

I eyed the water. -Perhaps.- I said, grudgingly. I _could _swim, but that did not mean I enjoyed it. I far preferred flying, and I said so.

_-_There's no better feeling.- Tobias agreed. -That's if Jake doesn't show up with some crazy mission. I just _know_ that he's going to take advantage of the school break…- He sighed, then changed the subject. -So, Ax-man, what was with the ritual today?-

I was impressed despite myself that he had noticed the extra sentence within the ritual. He must have paid more attention than I thought, perhaps more then I myself did.

-There are slight variations to it.- I explained. -Although the basis is always the same, the contents change slightly according to the occasion.-

_-_Right.- Tobias answered. -And? What occasion is it today? Andalite new year?-

_-_No.- I shook my head. -It is the anniversary of the day I was born. To mark it, there is an additional sentence within the ritual that--

But Tobias was not listening.

-It's your birthday?- He demanded.

-I believe so.- I replied. -Of course, with fluctuations in the time taken for an orbit between here and my home world, it's hard to tell. I've calculated as best as I can, and I believe that it would indeed be either today or tomorrow, but I cannot be certain.-

-Right. And you didn't think to tell us?-

I was surprised. -Should I have?-

Tobias hesitated before answering, shuffling on the branch. Then he gave a bird-shrug. -I guess not. Forget it. Look… I've got to go hunting, okay? We'll have to do the flying thing another time.-

With that, he powered his wings and flew off. At that point, my only concern was that I had somehow offended him. Of course, at that time I had no reason to suspect that he was lying to me. It was only later that I found out he had not really gone hunting at all. I did not feel like flying alone. Instead, I walked moodily along the bank of the stream, eating and drinking until I was satisfied, and then, tired of the heat, I sheltered in the shade of my scoop and forced myself into sleep.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"Hey, he _does _sleep standing up!"

-I told you.-

"That doesn't mean I believed you."

"Ax, wake up…"

A hand on my shoulder. I jolted out of my half-slumber, momentarily tensing my tail out of pure instinct. Cassie withdrew her hand immediately.

"Sorry." She said, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

-That's alright.- I said, grumpily. -Though I doubt you would have liked it if I'd cut off your hand.-

They blinked.

-Just in case you didn't know? Ax doesn't like hot weather.- Tobias explained, wryly. I sighed.

-He's right.- I admitted. -I apologise, Cassie.-

"We all have off days." She shrugged. "Anyway, come outside- we've got something for you."

I was intrigued despite myself, and so, reluctantly, I followed her out of the relative coolness of my scoop into the hot light of the day; the surrounding foliage seeming only to amplify the heat rather then null it. The others were gathered there, sitting on protruding tree roots or just in the dirt, and, I noticed, they were indeed wearing less clothing, showing far more of their arms and legs then they normally would. Rachel was waving a hand in front of her face.

"This is dumb." She complained. "I'm out in this heat, and under these trees, I can't even get a tan."

-I also dislike the heat.- I volunteered, and she jumped. She hadn't noticed Cassie and I come out, and, apparently, neither had the others, as they turned to me in surprise.

"Geez, the guy should be a ninja…" Marco complained under his breath.

But I always thought that the best ninjas were turtles.

-Is something the matter?- I asked, trying not to sound impatient. I wanted to know what was going on, and, if there was nothing, I wanted to go and sleep till Autumn. At some point in our evolution, Andalites probably hibernated through the very hottest months, and, were it not for my duty, I may have been inclined to do the same. In any case, it was Marco that answered.

"Yeah, something's wrong. Tobias said it was your birthday and all you get is a sucky extra line in your ritual."

I should have perhaps been offended at this blatant insult to our traditions, but I felt more inclined to agree. I had never been a huge fan of the ritual. However, I was confused by the 'All you get' part.

-Should there be something more?- I inquired, politely, wondering what on Earth this planet had to throw at me now and if it would take very long.

My friends seemed rather surprised.

"You… you don't celebrate birthdays?" Prince Jake asked.

"That's so sad." Rachel commented, pensively. "Imagine, a whole world without birthdays…"

"Or Christmas." Cassie chimed in.

-Always winter, but never Christmas.- Tobias commented. -And no birthdays. Even _I _had birthdays. Ax-man, you are seriously deprived…-

I swallowed slightly nervously. -I am?-

Prince Jake nodded solemnly. "You're lucky Tobias came to us when he did. This is pretty serious, Ax…"

Now I was worried. Hastily, I tried to rectify my error. -I apologise, Prince Jake. I did not realise it was a big deal here. If there is an obligation to fill, I will do it.-

And, once again, they all began to laugh at me. Prince Jake shook his head in exasperation.

"Ax-man, you're going to enjoy this."

And he was correct. Because it was then I discovered the wonders of a birthday cake.

I had to morph human to enjoy it, but that was not an issue. As soon as my fur melted away, the heat seemed to lessen slightly. There was also the advantage of sweat. I was not unfamiliar to sweating, certainly, but it is amazingly more effective in a human body then in my Andalite one. I was much cooler, and could not understand why I hadn't thought of it before. I also had the benefit of the sense of taste at my disposal. This was, of course, an advantage; as it seems one of the highlights of an Earth birthday was eating cake.

It was round, a perfect circle, squatting on a silver board. It appeared to be perfectly white, decorated with ovals of different colours which I was later informed were 'balloons', and the words 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'. It was beautiful indeed; and I was almost certain that the taste would be disappointing compared to how it looked.

But, of course, taste could never be disappointing.

"I wanted to get a chocolate one…" Cassie commented as she knelt down, stabbing little multi-coloured sticks into the surface. "And I didn't know how many candles you'd need. But we remembered what happened the last time you had chocolate, and, well… You'll enjoy this one."

I was sure I would as well. So you can imagine my surprise when Cassie proceeded to set fire to it.

I was hastily reassured that this was all part of the process. It seemed that the sticks would be set alight, and then the purpose was to blow them out. It seemed rather pointless to me, only delaying the part of eating the cake, but it seemed to be how birthdays were celebrated here on Earth. But I could not blow them out straight away. First, my friends sang a song.

I wondered briefly if they were intoxicated. Television has shown me that when humans drink too much of certain beverages, they can become unbalanced and often begin to sing songs. But they appeared to be in their sober frames of mind as they sung what appeared to be the words 'Happy birthday to you' over and over. Finally, having informed me that I should be grateful they had compromised their dignity in the name of tradition, it was time for me to blow out the candles.

"Don't forget to make a wish." Cassie warned. I pointed one of my stalk eyes at her warily.

"Why? I?" I asked, alarmed. "What will happen? Un."

"You know, he's getting better at that." Marco commented, wryly. I ignored him, and Prince Jake began to try and explain what Cassie had meant.

"No, nothing will happen if you don't. Nothing will happen if you do. It's just… tradition."

"If nothing happens, what is it's purpose?"

"It doesn't have a purpose, Ax. It's just…"

"If there is no purpose, then why is it done? Un."

"Any longer and those candles will burn out on their own." Rachel sighed impatiently. "Ax, just blow them out, before it's your _next _birthday…"

'Blowing' was a concept that was entirely new to me. I assumed it was just like exhaling, so, I leant in towards the cake, and breathed. The candles flickered, but nothing happened. Taking a deeper breath, I inhaled, and then exhaled. Again, the flames flickered, but refused to go out.

"Is he trying to _inhale _it?" Marco asked, bewildered.

-Oh, man…- Tobias groaned in sudden revelation. -Ax, you don't know how to blow, do you?-

"No. Oh." I admitted, ashamed.

Slightly disbelievingly, my friends showed me the appropriate way to purse my lips so that the air was directed properly. This time, when I blew, the candles went out. I felt quite proud of myself.

"His first birthday." Marco shook his head, wiping away an imaginary tear. "Our little Ax is all grown up…"

"His first and last." Rachel laughed. "Sorry, Ax-man, but I'm too impatient to do that again. Ever."

I didn't mind, because, at last, it was time to eat the cake. I had been anticipating the moment when I would finally get to taste it for some time now- and I was not disappointed. The cake was covered in icing, sticky and sweet; and, somehow, what I imagined it would be like to bite a cloud. As the icing peeled away, there came the cake; slightly less sweet but wonderful all the same, somehow creamy and solid! And, sandwiched between two layers of the cake was a filling of jam and cream. Each of these flavourings, while excellent individually, mixed in my mouth in a truly explosive way. I experimented a little, trying them all at once, and then each combination. It was hard to be so patient, but sacrifices had to be made for the progression of science. I thought for sure my tests would be ended prematurely when my slice was finished, but, fortunately, Tobias gave me the majority of his, saying that, even in human morph, he couldn't stand sweet foods anymore. The next problem came with trying to mix icing with the jam, the final combination. It was proving rather awkward.

"Dare I ask what he's doing?" Marco asked. They had all finished their slices by now, I noticed.

-Let him have his fun.- Tobias answered. -Besides, we probably don't want to know.-

I declined to comment. The icing now had a good covering of jam on it. It was just a matter of getting it off my fingers, and then I could eat it.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Amazingly, it seemed the celebration of my birthday was not simply the cake. I had to hand it to the humans- they knew how to celebrate. Once I had washed the remaining cake from my face and fingers- such a waste- I was told that I could choose what we did. I demorphed as I thought, knowing my time was almost up, and that the aftertaste of the cake was distracting me. Back in my own Andalite body, however, the heat struck me again; but could not take away from my good mood.

There's more? I asked, surprised.

"Sure." Rachel shrugged. "You have to do _something _on your birthday. Go out. Throw a party. Go wild."

Go wild? You mean I should reduce to savagery? That could be fun. I laughed. No-one else did. I remembered I was under strict instructions not to try and be funny.

"Is anyone else thinking giving Ax sugar was a bad idea?" Marco demanded. "Or am I on my own on this one?"

I'd like to go to the mall. I decided, suddenly. After all, it was at the mall that cinnamon buns could be acquired, as well as any number of other food stuffs that Earth had to offer. My friends, however, did not immediately look so keen on the idea, exchanging glances that I could not interpret the meaning of. Finally, Prince Jake shrugged.

"Well, it's your birthday…" He stated. "Okay, people. Let's take Ax to the mall!"

For some reason, there was a collective groan.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

I liked the mall in the summer. It was air conditioned. The air was full of the smells and taste of countless food and drink types, and all the odours that come with civilisation. I, however, was only concerned with one of them. We were seated in the food court- something I had mastered by now- and I knew that soon, Prince Jake and Tobias would return with our orders of food, including my cinnamon bun.

I was worried it would seem greedy, having just eaten cake, particularly when the others were just having drinks. But it would be worth it. And, as they kept saying, it was my birthday. However, by the time Prince Jake and Tobias returned, something even better was about to happen.

I had devoured about half of the bun, and my friends were reaching the stage where the conversation would peter out in favour of watching me eat. Although I did not know why it was so fascinating, I would not complain. As it was, none of us noticed the girl until she placed a hand on Marco's shoulder and informed him:

"You need a haircut."

We were all surprised, as we had not seen her approach, but none as surprised as Marco who leapt to his feet, spinning around to face her.

"It _is_ you." she sighed in relief. Her voice was unlike any I had heard before, and although the words were clearly understandable, they sounded… different, somehow. I was so curious, I was, for the moment, distracted from my bun. She stood about the same height as Marco, and although most humans look the same to me, she was immediately different. Human skin comes in many different shades, and hers was far paler then any of the others, seeming almost white in comparison. Her hair was long, but tied back behind her, an odd, russet brown colour. Some bits were falling out at the front, hanging over her ears and straggling to her shoulders, and, at the front, it flopped over her eyes. It was her eyes that surprised me the most.

While one was blue, as clear as the sky, the other was green; like the grass below it. I had never seen that in a human before. Occasionally an Andalite would be born where the stalk eyes and main eyes were different colours, but they were always in pairs. I had never seen mismatched eyes before, and these ones were smiling as much as her mouth was.

"Thank goodness." She continued. "I don't know what I'd have done if it wasn't."

Marco looked at her without recognition for a second, as did the rest of us. And then, he took a closer look at her eyes.

"I'd know those anywhere." He remarked, breaking into a smile. Prince Jake was now on his feet, also grinning at this new arrival.

"Lisa!" He said, sounding surprised. "When did you get into town?!"

"Yesterday." She replied, calmly, and hugged him. "And if either of you two lazy gits had bothered to write to me, I would have told you!" She moved on and hugged Marco. Unlike Prince Jake, he did not seem uncomfortable with this, and held onto her. Then he stepped back a little, and looked at her admiringly.

"When did you suddenly become hot?" He asked, winking.

"Probably about when your voice broke!" She shot back. "Man, I was going to come and find you guys tomorrow, but, as you're here…"

"Are you back for the summer?" Jake enquired. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm with my grandparents…" She gestured towards a table at the other end of the room, where an old couple were sitting. "I tell you what. Give me two minutes, okay?" With that, she ran off towards them.

I was glad to know I was not the only one who was entirely confused as they began to question Price Jake and I returned to my bun.

"Who was that?" Rachel demanded, instantly. "And _why _was she hugging you two?" She sounded disgusted.

"What? You don't believe random girls could be seduced by our charms?" Marco demanded.

"Shut up." Prince Jake told him absently. "Of all the places for her to show up…"

"Of all the times…" Marco concluded, looking at me uneasily. I looked back, wondering if I could eat any of the food on my face.

"But who _was _she?" Cassie asked. There was an odd tone to her voice. I wasn't quite sure what it was.

"That was Lisa." Jake supplied. "Her grandparents used to live near me and Marco. When we were kids, she used to come visit them over the summer, and so we were quite friendly. Haven't seen her for… what? Two, three years now?"

"And _neither_ of you bothered to write to her?" Rachel tutted.

"Yeah, but we've been kinda busy…"

"Heads up." Tobias said, suddenly. "She's coming back."

We all looked up this time as she approached, smiling.

"I have to be back by two." She said, in her strange voice. I decided I liked it. She slid into the seat next to me. "I can't believe this…" She gushed. "So, um, who are your friends?" She smiled around at all of us.

"Tobias, Rachel- Jake's Cousin, Cassie…" Marco rattled off, gesturing appropriately. Then he got to me and hesitated. "And the guy with cake all over his face is… um… Paul."

"Phil!" Prince Jake corrected, hastily. "My cousin, from out of town."

"Really?" She smiled at me. "Well, it's nice to meet you all- even if Marco doesn't remember your name, Phil." She held a hand out to me.

I looked at it, wondering what I was supposed to do with it.

The others were all watching me, the atmosphere suddenly tense. I was frantically searching every television programme I knew, trying to remember what to do. Just as she was about to drop her hand, I recalled seeing something known as a 'high five', so I slapped my hand against hers, leaving it covered in cinnamon. I swallowed nervously. This was not going well.

To my surprise, she laughed again, and licked her fingers. I heard Prince Jake breathe a sigh of relief; but the table fell silent.

"So…" She said, awkwardly. "You're from out of town? So am I! How far?"

I hesitated. "Oh… quite far. Arrr."

"I bet not as far as me." She smirked. "I've come all the way from England. What about you?"

"…Iceland." I answered, choosing somewhere cold. She continued to smile.

"Really? I've always wanted to visit Iceland. Nice and cool. Not like here."

"No." I agreed, deciding to stick to one word answers. Seeing our brief conversation was finished, she turned to the others.

"So… what have you guys been doing? We have to catch up, right?"

"Um… not much." Prince Jake answered nonchalantly. "Just the usual. School… you know. And you?"

"The usual." She shrugged. "Solving world hunger, that sort of thing." She rolled her eyes, indicating sarcasm. "I can't believe that in _three years _we haven't got a thing to catch up on…"

"In that case," Rachel said, having finished her drink. "Why don't we show you around town a bit?"

"I'd like to see it again… Thank you." Lisa replied.

"If it's alright with Phil." Tobias pointed out. "We are here for his birthday, after all."

Lisa blinked, and gasped slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realise! Please, don't let me disrupt your plans…"

I tried to act casual, and shrugged. "I don't mind."

"He only comes to the mall for the food." Marco whispered in a loud voice. I looked down, embarrassed.

"Nothing wrong with that." Lisa shrugged. Then she wrinkled her nose. "But come on… 'Mall'? You yanks take our language and then you screw it up! Are you really so lazy you can't say a 'shopping centre'?" She looked back at me with her odd, mismatched eyes. "I tell you what, Phil- you stick with me, and I'll teach you to speak _proper _English, like what I do."

For some reason, that seemed a very attractive option.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

We were back at Cassie's barn, having spent the early hours of the afternoon walking around town and at the Gardens, where Tobias and I had been able to remorph safely. In the seclusion of Cassie's barn, I was able to drop the human guise and once again return to my own form, just as Tobias reverted back to his hawk self. Luckily, the barn was also quite cool. As we did so, the others collapsed onto bales of hay, exhausted, apart from Cassie who, as force of habit, began to check the animals.

"Lisa's back…" Prince Jake moaned. "I forgot how tiring she can be…"

"I liked her." Rachel defended. "I really did. But how does she have so much _energy_? Shouldn't she have been jet-lagged or something?"

"I don't care how hyper she is." Marco commented. "She's _gorgeous._"

Prince Jake raised an eyebrow. "You only think that because she was actually willing to hug you, unlike most girls."

Marco shrugged. "Maybe she doesn't look like much to the inexperienced eye-"

-You mean the eye that looks at her face rather than her chest?- Tobias interjected.

"Precisely. Still, if you noticed, you must agree with me, Bird-boy. There's hope for you yet."

-Shut up.-

Prince Jake sat up. "Anyway…" He said, hastily. "I'm sorry, Ax. I guessed your birthday got a little… hijacked."

I shrugged. -It was fun.-

"I'm glad." Cassie smiled. "You were so quiet after Lisa showed up, I was a little worried…"

-I thought I might say something wrong.- I explained.

"After the hand shake thing," Marco laughed. "You were probably right."

"More importantly," Prince Jake put in. "She now thinks you're my cousin Phil from Iceland. That means she absolutely _must not _come to dinner at my house. She probably thinks you're staying with us. And if we're all supposed to be going to the beach tomorrow… Seriously, Ax, you'll have to be careful. For all we know, she could be a controller."

The mood suddenly dampened.

"I doubt it." Cassie said. "I mean, she's been over in England all this time, right? She would have been safe there, surely."

"I guess so." Prince Jake said. "But even so-"

-She would not have been safe.-

All eyes turned to me.

-She would not have been safe.- I repeated. -If the Yeerks are invading this country, they'll be invading the whole planet.-

It was only from the looks on their faces that I understood they had not thought of this before. The room fell silent for the longest time.

"Then she may be a controller." Prince Jake repeated, eventually. "There's nothing we can do about all those other countries, we'll have to fight them here. Meanwhile, if she _is _a controller, or even if she's taken in the future, she can't be suspicious of Ax. I hate to say it, but maybe you shouldn't come…"

"It'd be more suspicious if he didn't show." Rachel pointed out.

"Yeah, we can't go without the Ax-man!" Marco agreed. "He doesn't even know what a bikini is yet!"

-I think maybe,- Tobias began slowly. -For once, you're worrying too much, Jake. If she was a controller, we'd probably be dead by now.-

Prince Jake sighed. "Alright. Fine. Someone better find Ax some swim shorts." He glanced over at me, and then shrugged. "She probably finds him perfectly normal anyway- she _is _English…"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

The next day was as hot and sticky as the days building up to it. Tobias zoomed down just as I was completely the morning ritual. I turned and faced him.

-Hey, Ax. All ready?-

I nodded. -Rachel and Cassie have told me exactly what to do. I'm going to morph soon and go to meet them.-

-Well, have fun.- he answered.

-Aren't you coming?- I asked, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous. The beach would be full of people, some of whom would be controllers, and one of which would be Lisa. I would have felt better with Tobias there.

-Sorry, Ax-man. Beaches were never my 'thing', even less so now I'm a bird. I think I'll just hang out here.- He paused. -You'll have fun, though.-

-Yes.- I didn't believe it.

-With Lisa.- Tobias continued. Wondering what he was driving at, I pointed an additional eye at him, with only one stalk facing away. This was about as focused as my sight would ever be.

-Yes?-

-…No, nothing.- Tobias said. -I'll see you later, okay? I need to go find breakfast…-

And he left again, leaving me alone to try and work out what he had been indicating with his words. But it was hopeless. Although Tobias is my closest friend, I don't always understand him.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

It did not take me long to find out what a bikini was once we got to the beach. What took slightly longer was seeing the attraction in them. I had by now ascertained that the less clothing a human wears, the more attractive they are. Unless, as Marco told me, they are seriously overweight or old aged. He says there are certain things that should not see the light of day.

That day was indeed very light, the sun beating down as always. However, down on the beach, at sea level, there was a cool breeze, and in my human form, it was really quite enjoyable. This was the first time I had been to the beach for leisure purposes, and, indeed, the first time I had seen it so full of people. As my friends and Lisa were all down swimming in the ocean, I took the time to have a proper look around.

There seemed to be many things to do on a beach. Many of the humans were lying down, prostrate, as though sleeping. I wasn't sure what the purpose in this was. I lay down in the same way, but the sand felt uncomfortable in my hair and on my bare back, and I did not see the purpose in it, so I sat up again and looked around for something else to do. There were a number of people sitting and reading books, most of which, I was sure, would be fiction- and I had yet to discover a human fiction that I enjoyed, their plots either completely inaccurate to reality or too bewildering to be entertaining. The one possible exception was a series named 'The Lord of the Rings', which provides valuable insight into Earth mythology and also explains the disappearance of other species of intelligent life, such as the elves. However, I had not brought it with me, so I could not read. I spotted many younger humans digging holes in the sand, and that filled me with curiosity as I wondered what they could have been searching for. Intrigued by what secrets the silent sand could hold, I began to dig; although I had no tool to do so with. The sand quickly got stuck under my finger nails most uncomfortably, like it got stuck to every other part of my body, and had barely dented the sand. I needed a new method. However, before I could think of anything, I was interrupted.

Lisa came dashing up to me, dripping wet from the ocean, smelling strongly of salt. She smiled at me in greeting and started digging in her bag.

She and Rachel were both wearing bikinis. I took advantage now to try and work out what it was that made them attractive. She caught me looking, and her smile changed somehow; though what it meant I could not say.

"Having fun, Phil?" She asked, finally finding what she was looking for. It was a bottle of some sort, which she now began to unscrew the cap on, pausing to brush off the sand sticking to her legs. "Why don't you come and join us?"

I shrugged, indicating ignorance. In reality, it was simply because I had no idea how to swim in this body and had no real desire to try. At least, I hadn't until she had asked me to. But it couldn't be helped.

Sensing I was not going to answer, she changed the subject, dispensing some white cream from the bottle and beginning to rub it into her arms. "I burn really easily." She said, by way of explanation. "Which is a nuisance, because I keep having to reapply this stuff." A moment later, however, she had finished, and then peered closely at me. "You're looking pretty red there, mate. Here!" She tossed the bottle to me, gave a little wave, saying she'd see me later, and headed back down towards the sea.

I picked up the container, eyeing it suspiciously. It was about half full, and, according to the front, it was factor forty and apricot scented. I squeezed some out into my hand as Lisa had done and sniffed it. It smelt fine, quite pleasant, even. Tentatively, I licked it.

Apart from the sand that had mixed into it from my hands, it tasted nice. The texture, really quite oily, was unusual, but the taste itself was really quite appetising, fruity and fresh! Deciding it passed the test, I licked the rest off my hand and was just about to try some more when Cassie ran up and snatched the bottle out of my hands, stashing it back into Lisa's bag.

"You really shouldn't eat that, Ax." She said quietly, but seemed quite amused.

"It tastes good." I argued.

"That doesn't mean it's supposed to be eaten." Cassie assured me, sitting down next to me. She was wearing something that was almost entirely like her morphing outfit and entirely not a bikini. "I'm sorry, Ax- we've kinda abandoned you up here, haven't we? Still, it's a good job Lisa didn't stick around to see you 'use' that sun cream…" And then she looked more closely at me. "Actually, she has a point. You might do well to put some on. Doesn't that hurt?"

I looked at my arms, which were slowly becoming more red than usual. I prodded it, and, indeed, a shiver of tenderness went up it. "Yes." I replied, surprised.

"I guess we should have warned you about sun burn…" Cassie said, wryly, before pulling a very similar bottle to Lisa's out of her backpack. "Okay, Ax- sun protection 101…"

By the time I was finished correctly applying the cream under Cassie's supervision and was licking the remnants from my fingers, the others were returning from their escapades in the ocean. They came and sat or lay in the sand in a rough circle, the sand sticking even more to their wet bodies. Apart from Rachel, who seems to have a power of repelling any form of dirt or grit.

"Time to get a tan." She decided, stretching out.

"You shouldn't lie in the sun." I informed her, alarmed. "It will burn your skin and it'll peel off."

They all blinked at me, and then slowly looked at Cassie, who shrugged. Rachel settled back down.

"Not me. I don't burn, just tan." She smirked. "You losers can stick to sun cream."

"Pshaa." Lisa said. At least, that's what it sounded like, a swift expulsion of air through her mouth. Humans express many of their feelings in this way; through sounds that have no real meaning. She walked over, playfully kicking sand over Rachel's back. "You won't be saying that when you have skin cancer."

Rachel was on her feet, and immediately began chasing after Lisa, who ran, laughing. Within a matter of moments, Rachel had caught her, and they began to play fight. At least, I think it was all in jest, on the soft sand. If it hadn't been, I have no doubt Lisa would have sustained a lot more damage.

"This is better than mud wrestling." Marco commented gleefully as we silently watched the battle unfold. The two girls heard, and their battle was immediately forgotten as they presented a united front against Marco. As they advanced, he to scrambled to his feet and ran, shouting. It was Lisa that caught him, pushing him down into the ground.

Marco spluttered, spitting sand out of his mouth. "You limey fruitcake!" He accused of his captor, who nodded her acceptance of this odd statement before proceeding to happily cover him in sand, Rachel quickly joining in, and gradually the rest of us to.

Burying Marco seemed a fairly pointless exercise, particularly as he kept moving and ruining it. However, I was determined to participate as best I could in the day, so I piled sand onto Marco as best I could until, eventually, he escaped us.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" He yelled. "Let's do something else. Being buried in the sand is hardly dignified…"

Marco continued to grumble as the rest of us tried to think of what to do. I suggested lunch, as the sun cream had not been filling, but nobody seemed to here. At last, Lisa grinned, turning to a second, larger, bag she had brought with her. "Give me a second." She called to us, pulling a T-shirt on over her swimsuit. The rest of us did the same, waiting for her to finally reveal what was in the 'mystery' bag that she had refused to show us before. At last, she turned to it and pulled out a set of wooden sticks of varying size, and a rectangular paddle of some sort. She held it in front of her and declared:

"Cricket! The sport of kings!"

"You have got to be kidding." Marco stated, after a long pause.

"Yes." I agreed. "England has a Queen."

Lisa laughed, but then picked up several of the sticks, walking several metres away to set up what she called a 'wicket' all the while assuring us that it would be 'fun'. I was not so sure. Cricket, I knew, was a sport played in England, though how I had no idea. The problem was, sports generally involved running, and I did not like running in this form, particularly on sand as soft as this. However, before she explained the rules, I realised the time and excused myself.

"Does that guy have to go every two hours?" I heard her ask in bemusement as I made my way up to the toilets at the edge of the beach. A few minutes later, having morphed freshly and feeling a little drained from it, I caught up with them and found them about to form teams.

"I say we have America verses England." Marco joked, despite the fact this would be completely unfair.

Lisa just shrugged. "Well, I'd win." She shot back, sticking out her tongue. "Besides, you'd play on my team, wouldn't you, Phil?"

"Yes." I answered, not sure what to say and deciding it would be easiest.

"You've never seen him run." Rachel muttered darkly. Then she spoke more loudly. "How about girls verses boys?"

"That works." Prince Jake answered, smiling to himself. "So… This is just baseball, but you run in a straight line, right?"

Lisa smirked. "I guess you'll find out. Well, listen up, chaps! This is how 'cricket' works…"

I thought I had got the general idea of Earth sports. But this one was something else entirely. For example, there were two people batting at once, but only one ball. Once I understood that, however, it seemed a fairly simple matter of hitting the ball and running back and forth. We were to bat first, and it was Prince Jake and Marco that went up. I sat down on the side to watch and try to establish the rules. Lisa was the bowler, and she raised her arm up close to her body, ready to throw, I believe, underarm; when she sighed and lowered it again.

"You can't hold the bat like that, Marco!" She exclaimed. "You're only going to bash yourself around the head like that!"

Marco sagged, dropping the bat from shoulder height. "Well, how else am I supposed to hold it?!"

Lisa pulled it from his unresisting hands and showed him how to hold it almost down at ground level. Then she returned to the other end and threw the ball. Marco managed to hit it, but it simply rolled along the ground. We all watched it in silence, until it rolled into Lisa's foot.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." She stated. Then she placed the ball down on top of the wicket. "Out."

"What?!" Marco threw the bat down, shrugging, and flopped down next to me; Prince Jake taking his place. "I don't get this game…" He complained, so I proceeded to explain it to him, remembering what Lisa had told us. By the time I had finished reciting the rules, I realised that I had managed to draw attention to myself. Lisa was the one that broke the resultant silence.

"I don't think I've ever heard you say so many words in a row." She commented, then gestured that I should come over and take Prince Jake's place in front of her. Nervously, I waited for her to throw the ball. Prince Jake managed to hit it, and as the ball sailed away, I watched it arc gracefully through the air.

"Ax! Run!" Prince Jake yelled at me. I turned, and saw him dashing up the pitch towards me. I cursed mentally, having forgotten that I could only look in one direction and so having lost sight of the game. I began to run as best I could, tilting forward and nearly going headlong into the wicket at the other end. I was proud when I managed to stay upright. However, Lisa already had the ball back, so Prince Jake and I had no more opportunity to run. And now, it was my turn to bat.

The ball was flying at me! Trying to imagine the bat was merely my tail blade, deadly fast and accurate, I swung. With a satisfying crack, I realised I had hit the ball; and hit it well, for it flew into the air so far that, as far as I could tell, it had disappeared! Distracted by this, we did not run.

"…I think we should have established more clearly where 'out' was." Rachel commented. Lisa smiled at me, chuckling as always.

"I think we should just call that a six and be done with it." She replied. "Now, who wants to come and help me find the ball that Ax just walloped?"

We all stared at her, before quickly realising that showing surprise was only more suspicious. Prince Jake laughed nervously.

"What did you call him?"

"Ax." She repeated, sounding confused. "That's what you called him, wasn't it?"

We fell back into silence, replaying the moment. He had indeed shouted 'Ax' as he had been running. I swallowed. What now…?

Suddenly, everyone began talking at once.

"Well-"

"That's-"

"He-"

"He said Max." Marco said, his voice clearly sounding over the others. "It's his middle name."

"Yes." I said, hastily.

"I see." She said, looking a little disappointed at what was hopefully a totally ordinary, boring answer. "Well, Phillip Max, there's an angry bald man over there that has a black eye the rough size and shape of a cricket ball. Let's go and see if he's seen it."

She began to walk off, and I stumbled after her.

-The angry bald guy hasn't got it. It rolled to the right, and I think that little girl is about to build a sandcastle around it.-

I jumped at the voice in my head, and then spotted the ball, pointing it out to Lisa. Meanwhile, Tobias was explaining himself. I craned my neck and then spotted it, flying near the cliffs.

-I got kinda bored by myself… I figured I might come and join you. That was a great hit, by the way. Anyways, I'm going to find somewhere private to morph, so I'll see you in a little while, Ax-man.-

I wasn't sure if I believed his story. I wondered if Prince Jake had asked him to fly cover as usual. With all the people on the beach, it would be just like him to be worried something would happen. He was right to do so, if he had. But I found it sad that he could never seem to totally relax anymore. I don't think any of us could.

"Yo!" Lisa was at my side and probably had been for some time, because she was looking at me curiously. "You seemed pensive."

I shook my head and shrugged. She sighed, but said no more.

"I managed to get it back off that nice little girl." She told me, waving the ball at me. "But not before she'd covered it in seaweed and sloppy sand. I can hardly hold it! I'm going to go wash it off…"

I nodded and we walked down the beach together towards the water's edge. She bent over, taking care not to get her T-shirt wet, and began to wipe the ball off as much as possible. She seemed happy, and I said so.

"I am." She replied. "I love the sea! Back in England, I live slap-bang in the middle of the country; and so I only get to go maybe once a year. I'd love to have a beach so locally…"

"This is not the same sea that borders England." I told her. "England is bordered by the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel."

She stood, smiling at me as always. "Is that so?"

"Yes." I nodded. She looked at me as though I should elaborate, so I tried to remember anything else I knew about England. "And it's population is roughly 83 of the total population of the United Kingdom, which includes Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England at it's epicentre." She was still looking at me in a strange way, and, unsure of what else to do, I continued. "It's national tree is the oak, it's flower the English or Tudor rose, and it's animal the lion. It is the origin of the English language, the Church of England, and historically was the centre of the British Empire at integral to the Industrial Revolution. The patron Saint is Saint George, and Saint George's day is every 23rd April." I had run out of things to say. So I stopped.

Lisa's mouth twitched for a moment, and then she burst out laughing, seeming quite unable to stop. Eventually, she managed to speak. "Tell me you did _not _look all that up just to impress me!" She pleaded.

"No," I answered, truthfully. "I read it in the World Almanac."

For some reason, this made her laugh again, and, as we began to walk up the beach to the others, she said. "Well, I'm sorry… I don't know a _thing _about Iceland."

"Neither do I." I assured her. She laughed again.

"Don't you think you should?"

"No." I answered. "I haven't got that far in the book yet."

For some reason, this made her laugh once again. It seemed to me that Lisa was always talking or laughing or smiling, and it made my stomach twist. Perhaps this was how carefree Prince Jake and the others could have been if it were not for the Yeerks. I was truly beginning to think that ignorance was bliss. But if it were not for their efforts, Earth would surely have been overrun a long time ago. And then there would have been no more fun, or laughter, or carefree days. Lisa, took hold of my wrist and attempted to help me walk a little faster on the uneven ground. I decided to try and enjoy the rest of the day.

Besides, it was almost certainly time for lunch by now.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

The summer holidays in England only lasted six weeks, so Lisa was only staying for four. But it was a very fun month. Practically every day, we all met up and did something. Well, I was not always included, if there would be nowhere for me to morph safely. However, when I did go, Lisa was always there, and would greet me with her ever present smile. It made me feel… accepted, when she seemed glad to see me. And I did enjoy those days, spent either just 'hanging out' at someone's home or in town, or the trips we took to various human leisure facilities. Lisa said the places she loved most of all, however, were the woods and the beach, so we visited them often. When she asked me, I told her I liked the woods too. Tobias, who had joined us that day, then commented that the only place better than the woods was the sky, and she wrinkled her nose in distaste and stated how she hated flying.

I think she meant in a plane.

The Yeerks were also unusually quiet that summer, though I think the fact we were not looking for trouble had something to do with it. The only potential problem we came across was an advertising campaign for the Sharing, trying to appeal to youths that were bored in the school vacation. Prince Jake had considered it for a moment before deciding that we could solve that problem like 'any other teenage vandals'. I wasn't sure what he meant, but then, the next time we passed a poster, he ripped it down and threw it into a nearby dustbin. We all got the idea after that.

It was later that day that Lisa met Tom. She, Rachel, Cassie and I were going to meet Prince Jake and Marco to go back to the beach for the day. By now, everyone was getting better at cricket, though I still had not got the hang of running. We had arranged to go and 'pick people up', and so were heading to Prince Jake's house. However, as we approached, Tom appeared from the back of the house, and greeted us warmly. I mentally clamped down, furiously forbidding myself to act on the impulse to attack. However, he had no eyes for us, and moved towards Lisa.

"I heard you were back in town." He smiled. "How's it going?"

"Fine." She answered, smiling as always. "It's good to be back."

"It's good to see you." He agreed, nodding sincerely. Lisa dismissed his statement with a flick of her hand.

"Whatever." She replied, sounding vaguely amused. "When we were kids, all you ever did was pick on me."

"Yeah, I was pretty cruel… but I've changed." He assured her. "I'm a good person now. You, however, are still just a limey shrimp!"

She laughed, and hugged him like an old friend, but, I noticed, pulled away quite quickly.

"Is Jake likely to appear any time soon?" Rachel asked irritably, apparently as eager to get away as the rest of us.

Tom shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?" Then he checked his watch. "Look, I have to go. But... well, it was good to see you. Hey, if you and your grandparents aren't doing anything tomorrow night, I'm helping out at a barbeque. You know for the Sharing? Maybe you should come and check it out. We could catch up."

"I'll ask." Lisa promised, sounding worryingly keen. The rest of us exchanged uneasy glances as Tom took his bike and made his exit. I bristled with anger. Despite what I said to the others, it was obvious that the Yeerk's main hand hold was here, in America, and just _trying _to use Lisa to help his comrades over in England out… I felt Cassie's hand on my shoulder and realised I must have been showing my anger openly. I forced myself to relax.

Lisa did not look at us, but only at Tom, as he cycled off down the street and disappeared around the corner. It was at this point that Prince Jake came out of his house. He looked around at us all, and saw our worry.

"What happened?" He asked, concerned.

"No offence or anything…" Lisa turned around and faced him. "But your brother is a creep. He just totally blanked everyone but me."

We sagged in relief, and, other than that, the day was perfectly pleasant.

As I've said, every day was enjoyable in her and the other's company. But the day I remember the most was the one in which we visited the Gardens.

I had not experienced fair ground rides before. I've flown through the Earth's atmosphere as a bird, and a fly, both at what feels impossible speeds. The rides were surely slower then that. I have been in ships engaged in battle in the uncanny silence of space. I have crashed below the Earth's ocean from thousands of miles above. And yet…

For some reason, the rides still terrified me.

Lisa and the others enjoyed them- except I think my human friends found them a little plain compared to some of the other thrills they have experienced with the morphing powers. However, in the afternoon, we had candyfloss; and we walked around the zoo section.

I had only seen it while sneaking in to acquire morphs before, and had certainly never been able to stop and read the information before. Truly, the abundance and variety of animal life on Earth is quite astonishing. Lisa and Cassie seemed to agree, but the others did not seem very interested, perhaps because they had seen it all before. At any rate, we then bumped into Cassie's mother who invited us all back for a meal. I was grateful for the invitation, because recalled from my last experience there; although posing as Prince Jake at the time, that Cassie's parents cook very well. One day, I'd like to attempt cooking myself. With all of us there, it was a cramped but jovial occasion. In a way it was good, because the fact that the food had to go round meant I could not overeat and embarrass myself. Lisa was very talkative at first, but I couldn't help but notice as the sun began to set that she was becoming quiet. It was unusual, and it bothered me. It just didn't seem right. However, when she saw me looking at her, she just smiled, and then entered into a conversation with Cassie's dad about his work. Eventually, however, he turned the conversation around to try and encourage Lisa to talk about herself. She said a little about England, but, just as I had, she quickly ran out of things to say.

"It's just a damp little pit of a country." She concluded, laughing, and the conversation moved on again. I did not say much, feeling slightly uncomfortable somehow in such jolly and close conditions, so I concentrated on the food. However, I did notice that Lisa had lapsed back into her unusual shyness again.

Eventually, it was time that we all left. However, Lisa did not go home. Instead, she walked with me silently across the fields towards the wood. I began to panic, thinking that she'd worked out I lived in the forest. In the end, however, it turned out to be nothing like that. She suddenly stopped, seeming unwilling to go any further. I stopped to, unsure.

"That was fun. Cassie's parents are really nice." Lisa laughed, collapsing back onto the grass in the meadow. I looked down on her, the starlight weak, making it hard to see her with only human eyes. But, somehow, even by the tiny light of the stars and moon, I could still see her smiling. Then she sighed. "Phil, would you lie down? I feel ever so awkward with you standing over me!"

Not sure what else to do, I did as she asked. It was growing late, and cold; and I'd have to demorph soon. However, I was concerned about Lisa. She seemed to be avoiding going back to her Grandparent's home.

"Lisa…" I said, tentatively. "What's the matter?"

"I…" She hesitated, showing I had been right to be suspicious. She rolled onto her side, so her back was facing me. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm using you just to avoid going back to my grandparent's, right?"

I said nothing.

"It's not true." She assured me. "I… I just don't want to go back right now, that's all. It's weird, though. I don't want to go back because we argued this morning. And we were arguing about the fact I wanted to stay."

She fell silent, and from in the woods, I heard an owl calling. I had grown used to the sounds of the forest at night, but for Lisa, it was new and unfamiliar. She closed her eyes, seeming as though she could fall asleep where she was.

"Do you miss home, Phil?" She asked, suddenly. "Your family, your friends… do you miss them?"

"Yes." I confessed, without hesitation. "But I'm sure I'll see them again… one day."

I was not sure at all.

"I envy you." She muttered. "I _wish_ I could miss my parents. But I don't. And when the summer's over, I'll have to go back to England… back to them. Don't get me wrong, they're not bad people, but… All we ever do is argue. I prefer it here, with my grandparents, but when I asked if I could live with them, they said I had to go home. That I belonged there. But I don't know if you can belong in a place you're not happy in."

I said nothing. I was never sure of where I belonged either.

"It's pretty weird." She said, smiling again. "There's you- wanting to go home but having to stay, and me, wanting to stay, but having to go." She sighed again, and sat up. "But there's some things we can't avoid. Some things we have to stick out, no matter how much they hurt at the time. There's some things you just have to do."

I nodded in agreement, standing up, and helping her to her feet. This was not a wise venture as I myself almost fell over and she ended up straining her feet to keep me balanced. She smiled in amusement.

"And so we just have to do it, and do it with a smile- or it'll never get done." She concluded. "If you're in for a ride, may as well try to enjoy it. Everything will be over eventually."

"Yes." It seemed a safe thing to say. But it was a harsh truth that the things we want to last forever have to end along with those that we try to wish away. I walked with her down to the road, to make it seem as if I to had a home to go back to, before doubling back on myself and back to the woods. We said nothing on the entire journey, each of us locked in thoughts of our own.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

-Tobias? Did you hear that?- I muted the television, venturing a step further towards the entrance of my scoop.

-I did.- He said, grimly. -Someone's coming. Hang on, I'll go look…-

I waited anxiously for a moment, but then Tobias' voice came floating back.

-It's Lisa.- He said, seemingly slightly amused. -Better morph, 'Phil'.-

Nodding, I did so, and then listened to Tobias' directions. I came out of the trees behind her, where she was looking in wonder at Tobias, perched on a branch. I touched her shoulder, and she gave a little scream, before realising it was me.

"Phil." She sighed. "You scared me."

"Sorry. Re." I answered, glancing up at Tobias. He powered his wings and flew away, causing Lisa to sigh.

"Oh… It was so still, to… I wonder what kind of bird he was?"

"A hawk." I answered. "A red-tailed hawk."

She did one of her half-smiles that I'd grown so used to over time. "Really? I've heard of them… You know what their other name is?"

"No."

"An English hawk." She revealed. "But he's over here in America, just like me… and you." She glanced up at me. "…Phil? Can we take a walk?"

I wasn't at all certain I could with only two legs, but I nodded. She grabbed my hand, and we went along in silence. I don't think she knew where she was going. I certainly didn't. I wasn't used to her being so quiet.

"Lisa." I tried, stopping. She halted, turning to look back at me. "Lisa. Is something wrong?"

"…Sorry." She sighed softly. "I have to tell you something. But I want to put it off just a little longer, so we'll go a bit further, okay?"

I had no choice but to agree. We walked on.

Eventually, we came to the edge of the woods, where it dips into a hill and goes down into the meadow where Tobias hunts, and where, almost a week ago, we'd had our conversation. Lisa let go of my hand and dropped to the ground, sitting heavily down. More carefully, still unsure of this body, I sat down next to her, but did not know what to say.

She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them, staring ahead in a way that, to me, was so endearing. The breeze caught a piece of her hair, and it tickled my arm, but still, she said nothing. Neither did I. Eventually, she turned to face me.

"Phil, I have to ask you something."

I nodded cautiously, indicating she should continue.

"…Why don't you ever smile?"

I blinked in surprise. I had not been expecting the question. "I… I…" I looked into her mismatched eyes, which, for once, were serious. She was no longer smiling. I had never met a person, Andalite or human, that was so expressive with their face. I had never really considered her question before. I would sometimes smile in my own form, but certainly never had in this body. I suppose I'm naturally serious. And I didn't have very much to smile about these days. I was so far away from my family, in a constant battle… but I wasn't unhappy. I had good friends here, who were showing me the ropes of Earth- which could be an enjoyable place at times. But I had never smiled. "I don't know." I confessed. She sighed, turning her face away.

"There's so many people who don't know how to use their mouths." She said, sadly, after a slight pause. "They breathe. They eat. They criticise. But they don't know how to say a kind word, a word of love… they've forgotten how to smile." She turned back to me. "I'm going back to England tomorrow, Phil. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, so Jake told me you'd be out here… But please, just once before I leave… I want to see you smile, okay?"

"You're leaving?"

She nodded. "So… please?"

I smiled. Slowly. It felt strange, stretching my mouth, unnatural. But it must have been right, because she smiled to, hers broadening and stretching as though it was the most natural thing in the world to her. Which, knowing Lisa, it probably was. Her eyes sparkled with some secret joy that I desperately wanted to be let in on, so I smiled wider, until it hurt. She burst out laughing, and then hugged me, as close as she had done to Prince Jake and Marco that first day.

"Ta." She said, before adding, innocently: "Y'know, there's one other very good use for a mouth…"

I frowned again. Eating, breathing, communicating, showing emotion… It seemed to me that all possible uses had been stated. It irritated me that even after all this time, and all the time I'd spent in a human body, I was still missing something. "What?" I demanded. She laughed again, and brought up her face towards mine. Our lips touched, so gently that I barely felt them. But I felt it inside me. My human body- or perhaps it was my mind- was going crazy at this simple touch. I liked it very much. So, before her lips escaped mine forever, I brought them back together.

I know for a fact I had no idea what to do, so it must have been human instinct that guided my mouth on hers. In concept, it sounds awful, but it was wonderful. And it is amazing to me that such a display of affection was instinctual, something that did not require thought. I'd only ever seen actors do it before; and though they showed the process they could not covey the feeling. She raised her hands to my cheeks, her fingers warm on my face, and I held onto her so tightly that I was quite worried I'd never be able to let go. But, eventually, it passed, and she drew away, still smiling the same, soft smile she always had.

"…I liked that use." I informed her.

And Lisa laughed.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

I walked back towards the scoop, still in a daze. I wasn't quite sure what had happened. I couldn't be sure I had interpreted things correctly. This planet was quite mad. Luckily, Tobias was waiting for me.

-Hey, Ax-man.- He said, and then looked at my face. I must have looked odd, because his voice increased in urgency. -What did she want?-

-She's going home.- I answered, beginning to demorph.

-Oh…-

We remained in silence for a few minutes. Finally, I said:

-Tobias?-

-Yes?-

-What does it mean when a girl presses her mouth to yours?-

There was a very, very, long pause. Then Tobias began to laugh.

-It means, Ax-man, that Marco is going to be very, very jealous.-

-Why?-

-Because you've just had a summer fling.-

-Oh.- I answered.

And I concluded that summer flings were a very enjoyable experience to have.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

_I didn't see Lisa again after that. She went to the airport in the early hours of the morning, and went home. _

_She did not come back the next summer, or the summer after that. I wanted to write to her, but had nothing that I could say beyond more lies. I heard no word from her, and neither did any of the others. By the time we ended the war against the Yeerks, I was sure she had died, or worse, been taken, in it. But I did not forget the girl who had told me to smile, no matter how bad things were._

_And then, one final time, I saw her._

_It was some weeks after the war against the Yeerks had ended, not long before I was to return home at last. It was our award ceremony- or one of them. Every nation on Earth seemed to want to award us it's highest honor. We went to England, to Buckingham Palace, to be knighted by the Queen. And although that was an honor, I couldn't help but want to see her there. And I did. Not on the way in, which extinguished my hope, but on the way out._

_There was a crowd, cheering, held back by the police. I remember noticing her not for the noise she made but by the silence that came from her. There was her face, among all the other faces, just smiling as she always had. The years had aged her some, so I cannot be certain it was Lisa I saw, but I get the feeling it was. She met my eyes, and then slowly began to clap as I was forced along. That truly was the last time I saw her._

_But, in amongst all the cards and gifts and awards and honors that the generous, celebration-loving people on Earth felt the need to shower upon us, there was one that truly stood out to me. Little more then a note, it read:_

_**Phil-**_

**_Guess you finally get to go home. Have fun in 'Iceland'. _**

**_Always keep smiling. _**

_There was no name. But it didn't need one._

_Earth is a bewildering planet, in all truth. Yet, that doesn't mean it's a bad one. I think we'll see great things from human kind. They are not a species that will give in. They are a species that will smile, no matter how bad things are. They are a species that contains some truly special individuals._

_I'm glad I got to meet them._

_**-The End-**_

A/N: And there we have it. Whoo, that felt good… I've missed writing Ax. ;-) All that remains to be said is- Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! And then, of course, most importantly- A big happy birthday to my sister!! _(Sets off party popper) _Whoo! I hope you all enjoyed… Personally, I don't think it was that bad considering I thought it up in all of ten minutes. _(Sweatdrop) _But I'll let you guys and SF be the judge of that… Bye-bye, now!!


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